NORTH SHORE BREEZE 
HORTICULTURE 
And Kindred Interests 
(Department managed by a North Shore Gardener) 
At the North Shore Horticultural 
society meeting on Friday, Jan. 16, 
the president appointed a flower show 
committee consisting of the follow- 
ing: Eric Wetterlow, chairman; AlI- 
bert Sims, clerk; Herman Sanford 
Mr. Cauning, Thomas H, D, How- 
den, Eric Ericson and C. J, Allen. It 
has been left to the committee as to 
whether one or two shows will be 
held. 
The matter of finance has been 
discussed at recent meetings of the 
society. As the only income of the 
society is that of membership dues 
it has been necessary to solicit funds 
by varous committees to help carry 
on the several activities of the so- 
ciety, such as the holding of exhibi- 
tions, lectures, library expenses, etc. 
A change has been made in that one 
committee will do all the soliciting, 
asking from interested parties whose 
interest in the past has enabled the 
society to carry on shows, etc., to 
donate one lump sum, to be used for 
these purposes. 
Question box.—What is the best 
remedy for black spot on roses? It 
js answered that black spot on roses 
followed downy mildew and that the 
best preventative is to keep the roses 
in a condition to resist downy mil- 
dew. Ammoniated copper solution 
and liver of sulphur are offered as 
remedies. 
The speaker before the society on 
Friday evening, Jan. 16, Mr, A. Len- 
thy of Boston, gave a most interest- 
ing and instructive talk on “Plants.” 
The plants he spoke of are the prod- 
ucts of wholesale greenhouse estab- 
lishments and nurseries in Ghent and 
vicinity, in Belgium. He has made 
23 trps to Europe and gave a humor- 
ous account of his arrival in Ghent 
late one night about 30 years ago. 
“At that time,” said the speaker, 
“it was customary for all lights in 
the city to be turned out at 10.30 
at night. The principal industry of 
that part of Belgium is the growing 
of azalias, palms and _ auracarias, 
acres of land under giass being de- 
voted to growing these plants. Vast 
nurbers of azalias and palms find 
a market in cities of northern Eu- 
10pe, principal among them _ being 
St. Petersburg, Moscow, Warsaw, 
Copenhagen and London. The bus- 
iness of these plant specialists is car- 
ried on mostly in an old-fashioned 
way handed down from father to 
son. 
‘“Azalias are grown in a kind of 
leaf mold and in summer need plenty 
of water, as much as two quarts per 
plant each day. It has been custom- 
ary for men to do the watering with 
two cans, working all day and dip- 
ping water from tanks and wells. and 
carrying it to the plants. Thirty years 
ago a man who could flower azalias 
for Christmas was a genius; now 
with the new and improved varie- 
ties it is the usual thing to force 
azalias for Christmas.” 
Mr, Lenthy gave a description of 
new varieties, some not yet on the 
market. ‘The best varieties,’ he 
said, “are those which, besides be- 
ing desirable in color, etc., will ship 
without losing the flower buds. Good 
azalias worth $3.00 each take four 
years to grow.” 
In speaking of new varieties it 
was brought out that originators of 
new plants, like inventors, often do 
not profit largely by their creations, 
as it needs capital to get new things 
into the market. 
Continuing, Mr, Lenthy said, “Au- 
racarias, of which many varieties are 
grown in wholesale quantities, are 
best propagated by cuttings rooted 
in sand at 50 to 60 degrees tem- 
perature without bottom heat and 
kept dark. In Belgium one may see 
the modern way of watering with 
hose and Skinner sprinkling system 
mingling with old ways of 
watering, water wheels run by a 
dog, ete. A large city street clean- 
ing department uses a cart with dogs 
to draw it. Boards to build a house 
are sawed by hand, that is, whip- 
sawed. 
“Among the palm growers there 
_ Holland. 
hand 
is one who has 24 acres of palms 
and 13 acres of bay trees. I would. 
recommend Pheonix rupicola as the 
most satisfactory palm for house 
decoration, 
“Some establishments make a spe- 
cialty of growing ornamental orange 
trees. Ficus elastica (the rubber 
plant) is propagated in large quan- 
tities in this section. Tuberous be- 
gonias are the poor farmer’s crop, 
as they can be handled without large 
capital. The fields of tuberous be- 
gonias make a beautiful sight when 
in’ bloom, as do the tulip fields of 
Glass houses are on the 
increase, I saw fifty houses, all 
orchids, and as neat as a parlor, An- 
other place had forty-two houses 
of Cocos Waddeliana Palm. Roses 
in tthe open ground do exceedingly 
well. Belgium has a mild climate 
suitable to growing these plants.” 
Although Mr. Lenthy is an ex- 
pert on plants, he found time to 
crack a joke on the Western farmer 
who started in the poultry business. 
After a little experience, he sought 
to expedite matters by writing to — 
the Dept, of Agriculture asking if 
it would be possible to cross a Bar- 
red Rock hen with a (Lay-d) Lady 
Bug. 
TUBERCULOSIS AND CANCER CuREs. 
Secretary Lane’s energy in corner- 
ing the radium beds so that every-. 
body can get a hundred thousand dol- 
lars’ worth, and thereby get rid of 
his cancer, ala Congressional style, 
meets with the approval of the na- 
tion. Along with this comes a stery 
that the public health service of the 
federal government is optimistic over 
experiments being conducted in New 
Mexico by which air is pumped into 
the patients’ pleural cavity every day 
or two to maintain pressure, and tue 
results observed by means of X-ray, 
the lung, figuratively speaking, is put 
into the “air split” and nature is giy- 
en a chance to cure. 
The heart has reasons that reason — 
does not understand.—Bosseut. 
DON’T NEGLECT YOUR WATCH 
A watch is the most delicate machine made and yet the most neglected. 
Most people do not realize that it needs occasional cleaning and oiling like 
any other machine, and therefore they force it to run longer than it should. 
If your watch has run longer than two years let us put it in order. 
F. S. Thompson, sewerer 
164 Main Street, Gloucester 
